The will boast 1,248 players from 48 teams all in the pursuit of claiming football’s most cherished trophy. For 22 of the players in this year’s global finals, hoisting that coveted prize is a familiar act.
The previous three champions – Germany, France and Argentina – all have players on their respective squads who reached the sport’s mountaintop, with the Qatar 2022 winners from South America boasting the most.
The goalkeeper is the and the only one on the squad to have lifted the trophy, doing so at Brazil 2014.
Neuer has retired from the national team, but has in what will be his fourth global showpiece. The 40-year-old has amassed 19 matches, including seven from their successful 2014 campaign.
Three of the four French players who emerged victorious in the 2018 final were also part of the runner-up campaign at Qatar 2022 - Ousmane Dembele, Lucas Hernandez and Kylian Mbappe – giving ample experience in the biggest of encounters. Dembele, who pocketed Best FIFA Men's Player 2025 honours, has played in 11 World Cup matches but is yet to find the scoresheet. Hernandez featured in all of France’s matches at Russia 2018, as did Kante, who started every contest eight years ago but missed Qatar due to injury. Then of course there is the brilliant Mbappe, who has an astounding 12 goals in 14 matches from the last two editions.
Out of any reigning World Cup champion this century, Lionel Scaloni’s Albiceleste have the most returning players with 17. is Lionel Messi, who notched seven goals and played every single minute in Qatar, along with Nicolas Otamendi and Emiliano Martinez.
Julian Alvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Nahuel Molina, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Cristian Romero also featured in all seven matches during Argentina’s third title-winning campaign.
Sources: FIFA Official
